Asia’s expertise in rebuilding after disasters and wars has much to offer Ukraine
Japan’s armed forces, which have not fired a shot in combat since 1945, have little to teach Ukraine’s battle-hardened warriors. Yet Japan has plenty of useful lessons to impart when it comes to weathering disasters and rebuilding in their wake. The second world war devastated many Japanese cities, including Tokyo.
For Ukrainians, Japan is therefore a study in resilience. “Japan is a country living in permanent recovery,” says Mr Korkhovyi of Ukraine’s Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development.
Three lessons stand out. The first involves prioritising people during reconstruction—infrastructure is worthless unless communities return to use it. The second is the importance of seizing the opportunity inherent in a blank slate. “Don’t rebuild the old, build anew,” says Mr Korsunsky. Thinking ahead is also essential. “What’s important is not just money—you have to plan,” he concludes. Ukraine should start that now.
Ukrainian leaders would still prefer arms to urban plans. But Japanese law bars sending lethal aid . So the government has focused on the financial and humanitarian sort. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think-tank, Japan’s total assistance to Ukraine comes to $6.7bn. As a share ofthat is a third of what America and Britain have given; but it is far more than other Asian democracies that have aligned themselves with Ukraine, such as Australia and South Korea.
Such measures could indirectly help Ukraine fend off attacks and the environmental crises they can trigger, such as the flooding caused by the destruction of a dam in the country’s south this week. They will also be essential after the fighting ends. Ukraine will have to live with constant risk—in the form of its threatening neighbour. That will mean building cities and fostering communities that are ready for the worst—a bitter lesson Japan had to learn.
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